A boda boda operator was forced to abandon his motorbike by jumping off it while in motion to avoid an attack by a machete-wielding gang in Meru County on Sunday night.
The gang reportedly targeted the motorbike, which was ferrying two passengers—a man and his girlfriend—to their home.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that the attack occurred around 5 am in the Gakoromone area.
According to the DCI, the armed gang of three, who were also on a motorbike, ambushed the boda boda operator and his passengers.
Fearing for his life, the operator jumped off the moving bike, leaving it to meander and eventually crash with the two passengers still aboard.
What followed was a harrowing experience for the two other occupants, as the gang proceeded to rob the man and woman of their phones and cash.
Further, the DCI revealed that the gang proceeded to drag the lady away before assaulting her in turns. The boyfriend's attempts to quell the assault resulted in a stabbing on his inner thigh, with the assailants proceeding with the attack afterwards.
It took the intervention of well-wishers, who found the couple and rushed them to Meru Teaching & Referral Hospital. The pair received treatment and were eventually discharged.
In their statement, the DCI confirmed they were pursuing the assailants, saying, "The DCI detectives have launched an intense manhunt for the attackers, vowing to bring them to justice."
The DCI is also urging anyone with information on the whereabouts of the perpetrators to come forward.
The latest incident underlines a worrying trend involving the bodaboda business, which has been infiltrated by criminal elements, who use motorbikes as a quick getaway when they commit crimes.
A report by the National Crime Research Centre revealed that robbery with violence accounted for 52.9 per cent of the most prevalent crimes committed by people riding boda boda.
